Happy Birthday India !

15th August, 2009

Issue No 95 July 2009

Editorial

As India turns 62 on August 15^th, an inconsequential double digit before the sheer sweep of history, we request everybody in Yamuna to trot to the fountain lawn for the flag hoisting ceremony. The loftier rhetoric of independence may be mere words for the millions of people living a life of penury, for whom independence would only come with freedom from drudgery. However, for people like us who are more fortunate it would be necessary to take a pledge to make India a better place for all. While the flag hoisting ceremony may not evoke the adrenaline rush of a Diwali mela or dandia, for all patriotic Indians, it is a duty we should not shirk from. If you have attire that matches the colours of the national flag, it would provide for good visuals in the photos that would get uploaded in the Yamuna blog. It would also be great if children come prepared to sing patriotic songs. As usual, sweets will be distributed.

The CCTV camera has nabbed the first felon. Not physically, though! The C- Block gate camera has captured the intrusion of the person who made off with Aparna’s ( F-103) bicycle and the A Block gate camera has captured the getaway of the same intruder astride on the bike. Thieves normally hunt in pairs and so it seems this time, too. A person entered the C Block gate (by the side of the main lawn) moments before the person who eventually stole the bike. The accomplice left from the C Block gate after the bike was stolen. The irony is that the security guards were missing from their post at both the gates at the time of intrusion and getaway. There could be two possibilities; either there was collusion between the thief and the guards or the thief is smart enough to make his move until there is a security breach. On an earlier occasion when things went missing we had summoned the head of the security agency and cautioned him about the petty thefts. He made it clear that the guards have to leave their post occasionally to go to the toilet and until we hire an extra guard who can act as a reliever, there will always be a possibility of security lapse. In the AGM, a proposal was put up to hire an extra security guard but it was shot down citing financial profligacy. Unfortunately, stodgy conservatism is the cornerstone of policies governing the running of Yamuna. How can you draw comfort about your safety when you are cognisant of the fact that the gate is unmanned when the guard goes to the toilet! I hope wiser counsels prevail and we get the services of a reliever. Until then the security agency will keep passing the buck. A thief is a smart cookie and will obviously make a move when there is no one manning the gate. As a first measure, access through C Block gate is now allowed only to the residents and people who have been issued photo identity cards by the Society.

It is also pertinent to mention that the original proposal presented at the AGM was to install 16 CCTV cameras, which was also pruned to 4, as an exercise of financial prudence! Had we installed 16 cameras some of which would have been placed between the blocks, we could have studied the thief’s modus operandi and physically nabbed him. That would have made the investment on the snooping device worth it. Anyhow, we learn from these lessons.

The festival season is starting a tad early this year starting with Rakshabandhan on 5th August followed by Janmashtami on 14^th August. Rakshabandhan is a ritual where the sister ties a rakhi around the wrist of her brother or brothers as the case may be, in order that they protect her from goons, knaves, philanderers etc. This was relevant at a time when sisters, even after marriage, lived in the same village or town. In today’s world where even unmarried sisters commute long distances for college or work, this ritual has become more symbolic. Yet, it doesn’t take away the joys of the ceremony associated with the occasion. It is the beginning of a period spanning the next few months when women will turn out in all their finery to celebrate the various festivals that will follow. This jaw-dropping sequence for men is what makes life worth living!

The rain dance, the annual ritual of getting drenched in water sprayed through hoses, frolicking in makeshift pools and dancing to Bollywood music had to be canned this year due to deficient rainfall. We cannot be found wanting in social responsibility and cause wanton wastage of water when the rest of the city is paying an arm and a leg to buy water for even their morning ablutions! The news of the cancellation came as a big disappointment to all the children who looked forward to this day with the same enthusiasm as Holi.

Breaking news...the Yamuna Stores, whose sales figures now register a healthy northward trend, has added basic stationery items to their range of products.

This year the Temple in our neighbourhood run by the Alaknanda Dharmik Samaj is celebrating the Silver Jubilee Year. As part of the celebration, a traditional entrance has been built. A special Ganesh idol is also going to be installed. Several eminent people are expected to visit the temple during the four month period of activities. To defray the expenses for these festivities, the temple seeks donations from the residents who are devotees at the temple. Please get in touch with the temple for the details.

OBITUARY

Mr. T.P.Nedungadi, an ex-President (1991-92) and ex-resident of Yamuna returned to his Maker in July, in Kerala. He was a very cheerful person who liked to participate in all activities. I recall him being the protagonist in an English play staged on the occasion of Annual Day over twenty years ago. I happened to be in the same play in which I was supposed to marry his stage daughter. It’s hard to come by such nice people these days. Residents of Yamuna would like to express their heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family.

SNIPPETS

Nitya, daughter of Girija and Mohan of D-001 has delivered a baby girl on 10^th July in the UK. Isha Narayani, as the new arrival has been named, would turn out to be extremely fetching even if she is half as beautiful as Nitya . Girija and Mohan are over the moon with this bundle of joy. I cannot imagine Girija, who even today can cause several heads to turn, becoming a grandmother!

Mr.and Mrs. Anirudh Roy shifted out of C-207 to Gurgaon on 29.6.09. Mrs. Ipsita Roy’s flair at choreographing dance sequences will be missed.

Mr. Sunil Rajkumar Jamba has moved in with his family from Kolkata to C-008. He is a Regional Sales Manager with Nestle India Ltd. He loves travelling and watches sports. Although he is a North Indian, since he was born and brought up in Mumbai he is fluent in Marathi. His wife Seema is a homemaker who has spent ten years of her life in Chennai and as a consequence speaks Tamil. She likes to play badminton and socialize (plenty of opportunity for that in Yamuna!). Their son, Punit is a 3^rd year Electronic and Telecommunication engineering student at Dharwar in Karnataka. Their daughter, Hrishita, is a XIth Class student at Father Agnel’s school. She is fond of western dance. We welcome them to the Yamuna family. They can be reached on 26001775 or sunil.jamba@in.nestle.com.

Mr. W.D.Kotwal (A-201) turned 80 this month. The bard in him woke up and he penned this beautiful verse that should inspire many.

His Walk of Life

Past is past, future is not mine

On the edge of present I feel divine.

I feel not past’s prick thorn

Scared I am not of future unborn.

I now enjoy the emergent corn

In the golden hue of the sun newly born.

I hear the song of the earthly muse

Koyal in her pancham does amuse.

The spring, autumn, summer and winter dews

Nature paints for me in rainbow hues

The tiny tots and squirrels prance

Raindrops and roses for me dance.

In the present I am in trance

Back and forth need no glance

Let Him shuffle and deal any hand

Honoured or trickless, I enjoy the game none the less.

Thus my mind tended

For me the present is ever extended.

YAMUNA’S TREES

The Bael Tree

Aegle marmelos

Common names: Bael, (Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Marathi) • Bengal quince, Stone apple(English) • Vilvam (Tamil , Malayalam)• Sandiliyamu(Telugu) • Bilva- patre (Kannada) • Adhararuha, Sivadrumah, Tripatra (Sanskrit

Bael is a fruit-bearing tree which is cultivated throughout India, and most of South East Asia. The tree grows up to 15 meters and has thorns and small green-white sweetly scented flowers. Leaves are trifoliate (trilobed). Its smooth, woody-skinned fruit is about 5-15 cm in diameter. Look out for a bael tree just behind the entrance of the Yamuna Store (around the corner of F Block).

The skin of some varieties of the fruit is so hard, it must be cracked open with a hammer. It has lots of hairy seeds embedded in a thick, gluey, aromatic pulp. The ripe, yellowish orange fruit is eaten fresh, dried or made into a drink.

The bael is a sacred tree, dedicated to Lord Shiva. In hilly regions, it is mandatory to offer bael leaves while worshipping Lord Shiva. This importance seems largely due to its medicinal properties. All parts of this tree, the root, leaf, trunk, fruit and seed, are used for curing several ailments. The fruit pulp soothes the stomach lining and is believed to manage ulcers and the elusive irritable bowel syndrome. Bael is extensively consumed as sharbat .

There’s a famous story of how the bael came to be associated with this god. Once, a hardened hunter spent the night on a bael tree. To keep awake, he spent the night plucking one trilobed leaf at a time and dropped it on the ground. Little did he know that the leaves fell upon a shiva linga. Pleased with the hunter’s devotion, Shiva immortalised him after his death by “reincarnating” him as the constellation Orion or Vyaadh. Doesn’t take much to please Lord Shiva, does it?

Back to the bael – would you like to try making bael sharbat ? Here’s how:

Crack open a ripe bael fruit and scoop out the seeds and pulp. Pour half a litre of water in a bowl and squeeze the pulp and seeds , using your fingers or the back of a ladle. Strain the thick pulp through a mesh and add sugar to taste. You could add a spoon of lemon juice, but the sweetened pulp is best diluted with water.

(Shanthi Chandrashekharan)

Mirth Corner

The children were lined up in the cafeteria of a Catholic elementary school for lunch. At the head of the table was a large pile of apples. The nun made a note, and posted on the apple tray:"Take only ONE.. God is watching."Moving further along the lunch line, at the other end of the table was a large pile of chocolate chip cookies. A child had written a note, "Take all you want. God is watching the apples."

A Kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they were drawing. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's work. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "But no one knows what God looks like." Without missing a beat, or looking up from her drawing, the girl replied, "They will in a minute."

Calendar of Events

14.8 6.30 p.m onwards Janmashtami Tableaux by children in front of blocks

15.8 9.00 a.m. Independence Day Flag-hoisting and singing of patriotic songs. Distribution of sweets. Venue: Fountain Park